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Welcome to the Sweet Sixteen! This is where things *really* get interesting. The voting has brought together sixteen absolutely incredible versions (see the previous post for the latest recap), and every matchup from here on out will, no doubt, be hotly contested. The Sweet Sixteen vote will run for 72 hours. We are now only three voting rounds away from the championship game! This is where the drama gets thick. This is Tweezer Madness.

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Drama, Drama, Drama! The Hampton and Worcester regions more than made up for the blowouts in the last round of voting with several down-to-the-wire contests. Let’s go to the video tape!

Hampton Region Recap

#5 Hampton 13 27 #4 Bangor 94 23

The Hampton region’s highest drama came via the four-five matchup between Bangor and Hampton. This game was nip and tuck throughout with several lead changes along the way. Neither of these juggernauts were able to build any separation in this rugged-style matchup. Hailing from completely different eras, each of these monster versions utilized their unique psychedelic prowess in an attempt to intimidate the other, but neither backed down as the game went down to the wire. A small run in the final two minutes pushed the modern classic over the gem from ’94, and Hampton became the second 3.0 Tweezer to make the Sweet Sixteen.

#2 Mud Island 95 23 #7 Austin 98 19

The most surprising contest of the Hampton region came in an incredibly competitive game between two-seed Mud Island and the upstart, seven-seed Austin 98. This matchup provided the most stark contrast of styles that we have seen in the tournament—Mud Island’s multi-sectioned, never-ending 50-minute odyssey versus the locked-in, smooth-as-can-be, chunky Summer ’98 funk grooves of Austin. Austin kept the game closer than anyone had predicted, and by the second half, the compact dance-version won over the crowd as the arena pulled hard for the improbable upset. It seemed as though the favored ’95 beast would fall in a David versus Goliath story, but Austin missed a couple gimmies in the final minute and somehow, someway, Mud Island survived.

#3 Denver 97 34 #11 New Haven 95 14

After upsetting MSG 12/30/16 in round one, New Haven ’95 had its sight set even higher on the well-loved, show-opening version from McNichols Arena from Fall ’97. But New Haven’s one dimensional, guitar-led run-and-gun attack proved no contest for the methodic and balanced cowfunk of Denver. This one was never close, and Denver—as expected—rolled into the Sweet Sixteen unchallenged.

#1 Raleigh 99 44 #9 Nashville 16 8

Nothing to see here, as number one seed, Raleigh ’99, steamrolled the dark-horse rendition from Fall Tour 2016 in Nashville. Raleigh moves into the next round with its true competition about to begin.

Worcester Region Recap

#4 Tokyo 00 25 #5 Bozeman 94 21

Tokyo ’00 and Bozeman ’94 played the third, hotly contested game in this half of the bracket’s second round. This four-five matchup—pitting a 30-plus minute, international rendition against a 40-plus minute sprawl from Fall ’94—became a contest of leapfrog, with neither version holding a lead for any period of time. Tokyo’s cohesion and intricacy eventually won out over the long-form, patchwork improv from Bozeman, giving this half of the second round its third four-vote margin of victory.

#6 Christiana 98 23 #3 Salem 94 19

This three-six matchup saw two beasts go head-to-head, with the underdog, Christiana winning out in yet another four-vote contest! Much like Tokyo-Bozeman, this game was as competitive as any in the tournament, as the two versions battled neck-and-neck the entire way. Just when one version pulled ahead, the other would come back, and the game entered the final minute tied up. In their last gasps, Christiana offered a slowed-down, psychedelic “When the Levee Breaks” tease, and Salem retorted with a “Norwegian Wood” jam out of an abstract space. The Zeppelin reference was just was the doctored ordered as the iconic European version pulled ahead of the penultimate rendition from Fall ’94, edging Salem by the slim margin of four.

#2 Lakewood 00 22 #7 Albany 18

Worcester’s two-seven matchup proved to be just as dramatic as Hampton’s two-seven, as Lakewood and Albany went at each other with aggression from the opening tip. The heavily favored version from Atlanta was plagued by turnovers out of the gate, allowing Albany to remain in the game with marksman-like three-point shooting. Albany’s long range bombing continued throughout the contest, as they remained within striking distance until the final minutes. Lakewood’s tournament life flashed before its eyes. The Fall ’97 version, however, never got over the hump, as Lakewood blocked it’s final two attempts to secure a narrow escape in an unexpected barnburner.

#1 Nassau 03 42 #9 Champaign 95 6

Nassau 03 was the fourth top seed to annihilate their second round opponent and waltz into the second round with zero trouble. Nassau has its sight set on the final four, but will have to now step up and play in order to get there.

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Sweet Sixteen Breakdown

By Year:

1994: 1

1995: 2

1997: 3

1998: 2

1999: 2

2000: 2

2003: 1

2013: 2

2015: 1

Tours with Multiple Versions

Summer ’95: 2

Fall ’97: 2

Summer ’98: 2

Summer ’00: 2

Seasonal Breakdown

Spring: 1

Summer: 10

Fall: 3

Winter: 2

Lookout for the Sweet Sixteen vote within the next 24 hours!

MSG Region Recap

#5 Camden 99 35 #4 Lakewood 15 29

The four-five matchup between Camden ’99 and Lakewood ’15 provided the most marquee matchup of MSG’s second round action. A battle of styles, a battle of eras, a battle of tempos—this contest provided an interesting musical juxtaposition. Camden rode in on the strength of its ’99 psych-goo, while Lakewood put forth its stunningly beautiful melodic theme. In the end, however, the molasses of Camden got the better of Lakewood, as the New Jersey rendition jumped out to a comfortable early lead and continued to score just enough to hold off several comeback attempts from the Summer ’15 highlight.

#2 Jones Beach 95 32 #7 Hartford 13 28

The two-seven matchup pitted two versions, almost two decades apart, that are as different as can possibly be—the wooly and  outlandish exploration of Jones Beach’s Summer ’95 behemoth versus the smooth, thematic playing of Hartford’s Fall ’13 standout. The two squads played each other incredibly tough, but the Long Island monster held the lead from wire to wire. Hartford pulled as close as it would come within the games final minute, but never got over the hump. The sneaky-powerful two seed rolls on with a mission to dethrone more widely known versions.

#3 Bomb Factory 51 #11 Laguna Seca 5

This three-eleven matchup saw two classic 1994 Tweezers that are household names—Bomb Factory and Laguna Seca. After pulling a huge upset over Blossom 15, Laguna Seca looked to shock the world by sending the Bomb Factory packing. But the California, multi-band-festival version couldn’t harness its first round magic and got run out of the gym by the iconic Dallas rendition. This was an outright drubbing, and the victory sets up a highly-anticipated Sweet Sixteen matchup between Bomb Factory and Jones Beach.

#1 Auburn Hills 97 62 #9 Gainesville 95 4

Speaking of a drubbing, Auburn Hills annihilated the upstart Gainesville version from Fall 95 with an eye-popping score differential. The Palace Tweezer strolls into the Sweet Sixteen without breaking a sweat over its first two matchups. The tournament starts now for one of the best Phish jams of all time.

Gorge Region Recap

#4 Magnaball 46 #5 Island Run 19

Everyone had this Magnaball-Island Run second-round matchup circled before the tournament started, but it turned out to be surprisingly non-competitive. These versions hail from two of Phish’s most revered events, but whereas the Magna version was, arguably, the highlight of the weekend, the Island version was practically an afterthought to the run’s countless other-worldly jams. Magnaball ran away the contest in the second half in a thumping that few saw coming.

#3 Great Went 34 #6 Alpine 15 21

The Great Went’s afternoon classic coasted to victory in its second round match-up, maintaining a comfortable 10-plus point lead from early in the first half. The impeccable and buttery Alpine version showed some fight in scoring more than expected against the Went’s vaunted ’97 zone defense, but the result was never truly in question. The Gorge region’s second festival version advances, and the Great Went will surely make some noise in the the next round.

#2 Lake Tahoe 49 #10 Lake Placid 13

Following the trend of the Gorge Region, this Battle of the Lakes resulted in yet another blowout as Tahoe easily dismissed Placid. The tour-ending version from Fall ’95 proved no contest for the fan favorite from Stateline, Nevada, as the third Fall ’95 version bows out of the tournament. This sets up a prime-time affair between The Great Went and Lake Tahoe next round.

#1 Alpine 98 42 #9 Vegas 98 16

This battle of 1998 versions provided little drama, as Vegas just didn’t have the mustard to get within an arm’s reach of Alpine ’98s historic outing. Alpine’s victory cemented an all-chalk second round in the Gorge region, and suffice it to say, the next round will provide more drama than this one.

Hampton & Worcester Regions: Round 2 

The second round begins and the matchups get spicier! I plan to run this vote for the same 72 hours, as it seems like it takes that long for a critical amount of voters to weigh in. The tournament will move faster now, as the second round will be done with two posts. Thanks to all who are participating, and I hope you are enjoying this as much as my friends and I are!

Worcester Round 1 Re-cap

#6 Christiana, DK 21 #11 Worcester, MA 18

The six-eleven match-up provided the closest contest of Worcester’s first round play. Freetown Christiana jumped out to an early lead, but Worcester took command of the game in the second half with its intimidating front line. The ’95 New Year’s Run version built a lead and looked to be cruising towards a comfortable victory, but the international favorite, hailing from a barn within a squat in Copenhagen, strung together some stops and scores over the game’s final two minutes, pulling the rug out from under Worcester and moving into the round of 32.

#9 Champaign 95 21 #8 St. Louis 94 17

The eight-nine game gave the region its second-closest result, as Champaign edged the Fox Theatre version by only four votes. This contest was neck and neck throughout, as neither squad built a significant lead. Champaign fell back on its well-loved, Fall ’95, arena-style offensive to hold off the upstart, emotional version from a year previous. Champaign’s win makes Fall Tour ’95 the top performing tour of the first round at 4-1.

#7 Albany 97 23 #10 MSG 18 18

The Albany-MSG match-up dripped with drama, as the two New York versions engaged in a back and forth slugfest featuring multiple lead changes. Surprisingly, MSG had the lead for a large chunk of the game, but the the thick cowfunk of Albany proved too much to handle for the modern, bluesy-bliss-anchored rendition. It takes more than a little peak to bring down a giant of Fall ’97. Albany joins its tour brethren, Auburn Hills and Denver in the next round.

#5 Bozeman, MT 32 #12 MSG 12 9

The mega-version from Bozeman put the stomp down on MSG’s 2012 outing in a game that was never competitive. MSG, a strong version in its own right, was the victim of a tough draw in this one, as Bozeman was a lock for round two from the get go.

#4 Tokyo 00 32 #13 Vegas 18 7

The far-eastern juggernaut clobbered the most recent Halloween version with its exploratory style and Japanese stylings. The hard-hitting, classic-sounding, post-Kasvot rendition tried to put up a fight, but its defense was creatively overmatched by in this lop-sided defeat.

#3 Salem 94 29 #14 AC 13 9

Following the Worcester region’s upper-seeded blowout trend, the famed version from Salem ’94 ran circles around the hugely-underrated outing from Atlantic City ’13. Nobody expected AC to compete with one of ’94’s hallmark Tweezers, as Salem has its eyes set on the regional final and beyond. AC will live to fight another day, and would have had far more success had it headed for the NIT.

#2 Atlanta 00 25 #15 Portland 98 15

Though this result was never in doubt, there were times throughout the contest that Portland creeped up on Lakewood, providing the favored version with a bit more than it bargained for. Perhaps under-seeded, Portland fought valiantly, employing dubbed out rhythms and hip-hop teases in an attempt to pull the upset, but Lakewood never gave up the lead, coasting to a ten vote victory.

#1 Nassau 41 #16 MSG 10 4

Almost every media member had Nassau in their pre-tournament Final Four, and the post-hiatus monster looked every bit the part in annihilating 2010’s MSG offering. Nassau has all the pieces in place, and has the look of a version that will make a deep tournament run. This game was merely its warm-up.

Tournament Trends

Top Tour Performers

Fall ’95: 4-1

Fall ’97 3-1

Summer ’15 3-1

Fall ’94: 3-0

Year Representatives in Round 2

1994: 5

1995: 6

1997: 4

1998: 5

1999: 2

2000: 2

2003: 1

2013: 2

2015: 3

2016: 1

Seasonal Breakdown of Rd. 2

Spring: 3

Summer: 13

Fall: 14

Winter: 2

Venues with Multiple Versions Advancing

Alpine Valley: 2

Lakewood: 2

The first round has concluded! The first half of the second round will be posted within 24 hours in its own post.